Sunday, 30 October 2011

Oakland, California. A large sign reading "I am an American" placed in the window of a store, at 13th and Franklin streets, on December 8, the day after Pearl Harbor. The store was closed following orders to persons of Japanese descent to evacuate from certain West Coast areas. The owner, a University of California graduate, will be housed with hundreds of evacuees in War Relocation Authority centers for the duration of the war: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of the Interior/War Relocation Authority, March 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration) Berkeley, California. Residents of Japanese ancestry are closing out their businesses in preparation for the coming evacuation. They will be moved into War Relocation Authority centers to spend the duration: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of the Interior/War Relocation Authority, 19 March 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration)

San Leandro, Alameda County, California. Brand new church -- Pentecostal. Solomon 11:1 "I am the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.": photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of Agriculture/Bureau of Agricultural Economics/Division of Economic Information, April 1940 (National Archives and Records Administration)

Contra Costa County, California. Entrance to Davis Auto Camp. Family with 10 children live in the trailer on the left: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of Agriculture/Bureau of Agricultural Economics/Division of Economic Information, 10 May 1940 (National Archives and Records Administration)

Street scene in Oakland, California. One person out of every eighteen on the streets of the East Bay area is Portuguese: photo by Russell Lee, April 1942 (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection, Library of Congress)

Oakland, California. The day after the election: photo by Dorothea Lange, 12 November 1936 (Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Collection, Library of Congress)

San Leandro, California. Watering young plants on a farm in Alameda County, California, prior to evacuation. Evacuees of Japanese ancestry will be housed in War Relocation Authority centers for the duration: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of the Interior/War Relocation Authority, 26 April 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration)

Oakland, California. Baggage of evacuees of Japanese ancestry piled on the sidewalk. The Greyhound buses will soon arrive to take this baggage as well as the evacuees to the Tanforan Assembly center under Civilian Exclusion Order Number 28: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of the Interior/War Relocation Authority, 6 May 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration)

Oakland, California. Young evacuee of Japanese ancestry guarding the family belongings near the Wartime Civil Control Administration station. In half an hour the evacuation bus will depart for Tanforan Assembly center: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of the Interior/War Relocation Authority, 6 May 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration)

Oakland, California. Members of the Japanese Independent Congregational Church attend Easter services prior to evacuation. Evacuees of Japanese ancestry will be housed in War Relocation centers for duration: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of the Interior/War Relocation Authority, 5 April 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration)

Hayward, California. A young evacuee looks out the window of the evacuation bus before it starts for Tanforan Assembly center. Evacuees will be housed in War Relocation Authority centers for the duration: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of Interior/War Relocation Authority, 8 May 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration)

Hayward, California. Farm families of Japanese ancestry are being checked into the evacuation buses which are enroute to the Assembly center. Their identification tags and numbers are inspected before entering the bus by a member of the Wartime Civil Control Administration Control Station staff. Over 400 persons were evacuated from this district on this date: photo by Dorothea Lange for Department of Interior/War Relocation Authority, 8 May 1942 (National Archives and Records Administration)

4 comments:

Another depressing page of stills in the still depressing history of our country—the only humorous moment a rather astute-looking, freedom-loving mongrel who seems to be mocking the imperative mood of an illiterate auto camp owner—let ’er rip, Sparky!

Pretty intense glimpse of "East Bay Dislocations" way back then (that girl in penultimate photo looking out window of bus above a sign reading "Pacifi" about to head over to Tanforan Racetrack, and then where?) -- Occupy Onward. . . .

The Japanese camps--among parts of US history I was not taught in school.I love that sign--keep the dogs tide. I love these posts, however depressing they may be . . .and the one of the sailor below. Wow.

Of course the forced removal of Japanese-American citizens from the West Coast has somehow managed to elude American school curricula for the past seventy years. Wonder why that is.

Not forgotten by those who experienced it, however.

This always was a mongrel town, no wonder they can't keep those dogs in police suits TIDE.

It's unfortunate that the suffering of the young Iraq vet who had the speech centers of his brain pulverized by a tear gas grenade was required to cause people to stop and think about the absence not only of compassion but of rationality on the part of the presumed authority.

Copies of a well-done bogus letter from the mayor have been flapping about in the night wind in the bleak downtown streets.

It begins:

"Mayor Quan’s Statement to Occupy Oakland

"October 28th, 9pm --

"As mayor of Oakland it is my great relief to make this announcement to the public. First of all, I offer my sincere apology for ordering the violent repression of the Occupy Oakland encampment in front of city hall in the morning of Tuesday, October 25, 2011. It reached the height of absurdity to use the rationale of public health and safety to justify this, and I have had a change of heart.

"The Occupy Oakland general assembly has called for a general strike on Wednesday, November 2, 2011, and I heartily endorse this call. The Occupy Oakland encampment was just the kind of experiment in mutual aid and direct democracy that is needed. And a general strike could bring this to a new level. In fact, I want to up the ante to show I'm on the right side of history again..."

(Currently her "approval rating" stands at approximately 0.1%, and dropping...)